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Regeneration of used petroleum-based lubricants and biolubricants by a novel green and sustainable technology

REGENERATION OF USED PETROLEUM-BASED LUBRICANTS
AND BIOLUBRICANTS BY A NOVEL GREEN AND SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY
by
William Tsung-Chieh Fan
__________________________________________________________
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirement for the Degree
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
(ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING)
May 2010
Copyright 2010 William Tsung-Chieh Fan

Petroleum is an essential natural resource used as the source of energy and raw material for almost all industries. It is also a non-renewable resource and not easily accessible in most cases. Today, as the global petroleum reserves are becoming increasingly scarce due to the rapid industrialization, the price of petroleum and products used petroleum as base materials will inevitably escalate and negatively impact on our economy. Moreover, the environmental impacts associated with petroleum exploration have increasingly become critical issues of global concern. In order to conserve petroleum resource and reduce petroleum drilling, the regeneration of petroleum-based materials for beneficial reuse and the utilization of renewable resources as base materials to substitute petroleum are two necessary actions toward a sustainable earth.; Lubricants, either mineral-based or synthetic made, are the products derived from petroleum and developed through tribological research. Lubricants are essential elements for modern industries to perform not only for lubrication of moving parts in machines, engines, and vehicles; but also for many other functions, such as cooling, noise and vibration reduction, cleaning, corrosion protection, and power transfer.; However, lubricants require change after long service because the various impurities generated from the operation may degrade the efficiency of lubricants and significantly contaminate lubricants. Each year over two billion gallons of used lubricants are generated around the world and expected to generate more due to worldwide increased demand in lubricants.; Many studies have confirmed that used petroleum-based lubricants collected from oil-change are slow in degradation and highly toxic to human health, fauna, and flora. Because the disposal of used lubricants is becoming a global concern, it is important to study the potential impacts of used lubricants on human health, animals, plants, and the environment in order to raise public awareness for proper handling in order to prevent them being released to the environment.; On the other hand, used lubricant also contains a significant amount of heating value. Hydrocarbon compounds in used lubricants can be regenerated into either lubricant base materials or an energy source. The regeneration of used lubricants has enormous benefits, including minimizing hazards, reducing waste, protecting the environment, conserving natural resources, and creating an energy source as the energy shortage is becoming a global problem.; The mission of this research is to (1) help the world to reduce used lubricants by regenerating them into an economically competitive energy resource through a sustainable technology and to (2) evaluate and promote the utilization of renewable source, such as plant oils, as green alternatives in lubricant applications. Both are essential to creating a sustainable earth as the ultimate goal of this research.; The binary solvent process, the binary system matrix, and the Cold-Stage Energy Conversion (CSEC) system are the newly developed technologies and products during this four-year research endeavor. The engineering approach and the supporting concepts are presented along with the development of the process and products in this dissertation.; The potential of the binary solvent process in used lubricants purification and hydrocarbon compounds recovery is discussed and reviewed. It has been demonstrated to be a promising technology capable of removing up to 93% of impurities while recovering up to 99 % of hydrocarbon compounds from various types of used lubricants under atmospheric pressure and at a relatively low temperature. Moreover, environmental sustainability and economic feasibility are two significant designs in this process. All reagents used for this process can be recycled and reused indefinitely.; The binary system matrix is an analytical method designed to enhance the efficiency of the binary solvent process. CSEC system is built based on the concept of binary solvent process and capable of regenerating used lubricants in a continuous-flow fashion at relatively low temperature operated under atmospheric pressure. All these advantages lead to cost saving on less maintenance and easy to handle.; The benefits of new generation of lubricants made from the renewable resources is reviewed and discussed. This dissertation focus on the research of using plant oils as lubricant feedstock. The compositions of different plant oil are unique, many factors, such as climate, soil, and season, have played major contributing roles in the difference. Balancing the resources and the industrial use offers a major challenge in sustainable resource management. The adaptive management is becoming the key to achieving this balance. The use of animal fats or grease as lubricant base materials is no longer practical due to undesirable properties of most animal fats and the concern of society regarding animal welfare issues.; As the concern about the environment compatibility of petroleum-based lubricant is on the rise, lubricants made from plant oils are easily biodegradable; renewable and genetically changeable; less hazardous to human health, fauna, and flora; more stable with temperature change; and safer to use.; In the end, this dissertation presents the recommendations for the future improvements in CSEC system as well as the plans towards the future development of biodegradable lubricants derived from sources that do not compete with food sources, such as ocean phytoplankton or biomass waste.

REGENERATION OF USED PETROLEUM-BASED LUBRICANTS
AND BIOLUBRICANTS BY A NOVEL GREEN AND SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY
by
William Tsung-Chieh Fan
__________________________________________________________
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirement for the Degree
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
(ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING)
May 2010
Copyright 2010 William Tsung-Chieh Fan